


Lunch Break

by SenpaiWontNotice



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24051580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenpaiWontNotice/pseuds/SenpaiWontNotice
Summary: Ren is called into the student council room over lunch, and his negotiation skills are put to the ultimate test.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 8
Kudos: 126





	Lunch Break

**Author's Note:**

> For what it’s worth I have no idea whether lunch periods happen as normal during exam time at Japanese high schools but … let’s pretend, shall we?

\---

December 20, 2016 

\---

“Ren … I don’t think … I’m going to make it …” Ann choked out, trying to muster what faint strength she had left.

“... Well, at least you had a good run,” Ren replied in his familiar, even-tempered tone.

“Hey!” Ann cried, suddenly regaining her strength as she lifted her head from her classroom desk in annoyance. “Take this seriously, would you!?”

It was winter exam season at Shujin Academy, and tensions were running high in class 2-D. Even though the lunch bell that had rung a moment ago offered the students a brief reprieve from the terrors of test-writing, the class was abuzz with anxious energy, with students comparing answers and generally lamenting their fates. 

The excitement was cut short, however, as an unexpected knock at the classroom’s back entrance. The door slid open a moment later to reveal an abnormal guest: Shujin’s student council president, Makoto Nijima. Her eyes immediately scanned the classroom, landing on the messy-haired transfer student sitting by the window. 

“Amamiya-san, might I have a word with you in the student council room? Immediately?” the president asked curtly, then closed the door and went about her business. 

Nervous chatter resumed in the classroom, but the topic had shifted to one of 2-D’s favourite topics: their resident delinquent. 

“ _Oh, he’s screwed now._ “

“ _Didn’t he_ just _get back, though?”_

“ _Do you think he got caught cheating?_ ”

“ _That’s got to be it! No way a guy like him could get top marks on the last exams playing fairly._ ”

Ann rolled her eyes, then leaned against her chair to speak to Ren quietly. 

“What’s up? Think it’s about Shido?” she asked, somewhat confused at Makoto’s sudden appearance. 

Ren waved off her question. “Don’t sweat it. If something’s wrong, I’ll let you know later.”

Leaving his bag and Morgana at his desk, Ren hurried out of the class and made his way upstairs to the student council room. 

* * *

Makoto was already waiting for him when Ren entered, seated at the table with her bag resting at her feet. As he’d expected, the student council room was otherwise unoccupied; he’d learned from Makoto that the other student council members usually didn’t spend much time here unless it was absolutely necessary. As lonely as that revelation sounded, it seemed that it made the student council room a perfect place to have conversations away from prying eyes. 

Makoto said nothing as Ren approached the table and took a seat across from her, she just stared observantly. There was a look in her eyes that sent Ren back to the first time she had called him here, back when she was hunting the Phantom Thieves. It was as though her eyes were challenging him to impress her, all the while asserting her own dominance -- like a cat eyeing a cornered mouse. He would never admit it to the other Thieves, but even back then, he had found something alluring about her gaze. 

Ren couldn’t tell what she was plotting, but he figured it was safe enough to play along for now.

“Is there a problem, Nijima-senpai?” he asked. 

Makoto gave a small smile and replied noncommittally, her gaze lingering. “Nothing in particular.” 

“Then … why call for me?”

“I wanted to see my boyfriend,” Makoto replied, unable to stop herself from smiling at the word. “Is that a problem?” 

So she _was_ just playing with him. Well, after a morning of nothing but exams, Ren was grateful for the distraction. 

“You know, getting called in by the student council president isn’t helping my reputation,” Ren mock-whined, punctuating his statement with an exaggerated pout.

Makoto laughed. “Isn’t making everyone think you’re some sort of bad boy part of your image at this point?”

Ren gasped. Well, it _was_ , but she didn’t have to say it so matter-of-factly. His mock outrage just made Makoto laugh harder.

“Aww, well maybe I can apologize with this,” she said, pulling two bento boxes out of her bag and sliding one over to Ren. 

Now, Ren was actually surprised. “You made me lunch?”

Makoto nodded as she opened her own box, shifting to a serious tone. “You’ve got to start eating better if you want to perform at your best. Especially at an important time like this! But knowing you, the only way to make sure you’re eating properly is feeding you myself.”

“Wow, that’s really sweet!” Ren said, mentally filtering out the pseudo-lecture. He knew that fussing over others was pretty much Makoto’s love language, but it was still touching to know she was still thinking about him even when she was in full-on exam mode. 

Still, he was due to tease her at least a little bit. 

“You must _really_ love me if you spent time on this instead of studying,” Ren added. 

Makoto’s face turned a bit pink at the comment, but she took it in stride. “Well, you’re not wrong … but you shouldn’t underestimate a Nijima!”

  
  
“Oh? So Miss Prez was just that on top of her studies, huh?” Ren joked. 

“Well, no, I just meant that I studied while I cooked.”

Ren snorted. “Ah, of course, how foolish of me to think otherwise.”

  
  
“There’s no such thing as too much studying, you know!” Makoto insisted, and then her eyes lit up as though she’d remembered something important.

“And on that note …” Makoto’s voice trailed off as she rifled through her bag for a moment until she extracted a tall wad of cue cards.

A feeling of dread settled over Ren as he slowly realized Makoto’s true objective. 

“Makoto, are those …?” he asked hesitantly. 

“Flash cards,” Makoto answered. “I was worried that we didn’t cover all that much during our group study session, so I thought we could review some subjects during break.”

“Hang on a minute, isn’t it not very effective to cram last minute?” Ren asked, trying to find a way out of this situation.

  
  
“It’s not ideal, but then again, neither is not studying for _an entire month,_ is it?” Makoto replied with thinly-veiled annoyance.

  
  
“I was dead!” Ren protested. 

“This is no time for excuses!” Makoto said, picking up the first flash card. “Now then, if you climbed Mt. Fuji at dawn-”

“M-Makoto, wait!” Ren cried, reaching out to grasp her hands in his. This would be his last chance to escape the study session ambush. It was time to put his debonair charm to good use. What had all those nights apprenticing under Yoshida been leading to, if not this? What had all those excessive trips to the bathhouse been for, if not for this!?

Ren stared deep into Makoto’s crimson eyes as he began his final plea. “Baby, there’s more to life than studying. You said that yourself! We finally stopped Shido and put an end to his crimes in the Metaverse. We can finally hang up our masks and live normal student lives. So today, can’t I just enjoy this wonderful meal that my loving, considerate, beautiful girlfriend made for me? Haven’t we earned that?”

  
As he spoke, Ren could see Makoto’s resolve waver, weighing his words. She collected her thoughts and squeezed his hands as she responded. 

“You’re right, Ren. If there’s one thing you’ve shown me over the past year, it’s that there’s so much more to life than just grades and textbooks. And if there’s anyone in this entire school that’s earned a break, it’s you.”

Ren felt his heart soar. He’d pulled it off! If he could move people’s hearts this easily even without using the Metaverse, maybe there really was no reason to go back to his Phantom Thief ways-

“So I’ll treat you to whatever you’d like, after exams are over.”

“... Huh?”

“ _After. Exams._ Today, we study,” Makoto said coldly. Her eyes had hardened into a steely gaze that would make her own sister blush. 

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me …” Ren despaired. 

“Nice try, though. Unfortunately, your considerate, beautiful girlfriend loves you too much to let your grades slip,” Makoto said, looking much too pleased with herself. 

“Mercy …” Ren whined.

“Prepare yourself,” Makoto said, removing her hands from Ren’s and organizing her cue cards. “I’ll be drilling you extra hard today.” 

* * *

As the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang, the door to 2-D slammed open, and its delinquent transfer student stepped through, dragging his body as though he were completely devoid of energy, a shell of his former self.  
  


As Ren practically collapsed at his desk, his mind incapacitated by the knowledge he had been bombarded with for the past half-hour, Ann looked back in concern.

“Uh, you good?” she asked.

“She’s … a demon …” Ren groaned. “Everyone’s terrified … of the wrong student.”

“Well,” Ann giggled, a grin spreading across her face, “At least you had a good run.”


End file.
